We recently had a heated discussion in the office - can software constitute a good gift? So many our relatives spends hours in front of computer screens everyday enjoying their hobbies, catching up with friends via social media and enjoying a bloody adventure in virtual reality via the latest First Person Shooter game. Can they possibly enjoy software as a gift? Why not? I am sure that everyone can find someone for whom software will make their free time more enjoyable

Let me give you few ideas for a software gift. For example every blogger will appreciate Camtasia Studio, the easiest way to add some video content to otherwise static blogs. These videos will get your blog fame and popularity thanks to YouTube and will help to promote your blog. As another option, if you know any aspiring film maker, Adobe Premiere Elements will help them convert their shots into virtually Oscar-nominated productions worth showing publicly. If you know any proud iPhone owners they will definitely appreciate the iPhone Software Suite from Xilisoft. This will allow them to convert that film that they didn't find time to watch at home and allow them to watch it during their morning commute. Just think of all those jealous co-commuters which have to rely on the free newspapers. And don’t forget your older relatives discovering “new technology”. Make sure they are running a decent anti-virus and firewall. It will save you time on 'support' issues in the future. These are only a few ideas off the top of my head. I am sure you will have thousands of better ideas. If you can think of a better software gift make sure to leave a comment.

The arguments against were that it is a very functional present, as opposed to a 'gift', which I tend to agree with. Let's be honest, it's not something that you would buy for your wife or girlfriend. I know of many people who would enjoy software as a gift though. Just make sure that you spend time thinking about them and less about what you would enjoy. If you have given software as a gift in the past and would like to share your story with us, you are also encouraged to leave a comment. The argument was not resolved so we decided to leave it to you. Tell us what you think. Take part in our poll.